BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Emergency Management will dispatch inspection teams to tighten full-chain safety oversight of fireworks, thereby preventing and controlling various safety risks, the ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry and the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee held a meeting on the same day, calling for strengthened safety oversight over the production, transport, sales and setting off of fireworks, along with efforts to raise public safety awareness.

The meeting noted that the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival mark a peak period for fireworks use, with safety risks looming large. It urged local authorities to attach great importance to fireworks safety and immediately organize inspections to identify and address safety hazards at retail stores and outlets.

Efforts must be made to curb risky practices such as excessive stockpiling and placing products outside stores. Smoking or using open flames inside stores is strictly prohibited, according to the meeting.

The meeting also urged inspections of key sites such as vacant houses and warehouses to prevent illegal storage of fireworks. ■